Here is a solid yes, with an exclamation point, to the increase in the cigarette tax the General Assembly is considering.

The gig is up on cigs. Why there is so much controversy surrounding doing the right thing, in the year 2008, is beyond us. Given sharp revenue shortfalls and probable deep cuts in necessary services, Kentucky is in an unenviable position and it is time to start clawing out of the hole. Even if we were in good times, which we are not, a decent hike in the cigarette tax is justifiable. The average tax among the 50 states has been more than $1 for several years.

By the time you purchase an electronic device off the shelf, a new, improved version is already in the works. Tech junkies can’t resist buying the updated replacement, and companies and organizations often find that it can help them operate more efficiently.

The result is leftover cell phones, MP3 players, monitors, etc., which sometimes include components that can’t be safely discarded, such as lithium batteries. These cast-aways also include materials that can be recycled.

Food Check-Out Week is a time to “celebrate the affordability of food in America,” according to information distributed by the American Farm Bureau Federation. It marks the point in the new year — 40 days in — at which Americans have earned enough money to pay for a year’s worth of food.

All of us are occasionally guilty of poor judgment. Some of the resulting mistakes are worse than others. Those involving illegal drugs are among the worst.

We often write people off when they are convicted on a drug charge and think there’s no hope for their future. We think of recidivism rates and assume they will succumb to the drug that got them into trouble in the first place. Or, we wonder how people allow themselves to get involved with something they should know cannot possibly end well.

We use the word “anniversary” to mark mostly celebratory occasions, so in remembering that it was one year ago this morning that 10 lives were lost in Bardstown’s most deadly house fire, the word anniversary does not seem quite right.

The reality of the loss is still too raw, the shock still too fresh. Perhaps the process is one of the ways we grieve and try to cope.

Last week’s ruling in favor of the City of Bardstown by the Kentucky Court of Appeals affirming Judge Larry Raikes and his decision concerning annexation of property in the Spencer Mattingly Lane area was the right call.

It may not, however, necessarily have much impact concerning the fight against annexation along the KY 245 corridor. Or, then again, perhaps it will.

With the theatre of the past week, waiting for the May primaries is like sitting on a powder keg. You know something is going to blow, but just don’t know when and where.

As old and new friends seem to be coming and going, it could be there will be an explosion May 20. Then again, it could be Tuesday or might not be until the November general election. To say the past week has been wild and wooly is an understatement.

Much credit is owed to Bardstown’s forefathers, whose vision for a fine community we still enjoy today.

Now we have a chance to honor one of their greatest contributions.

Bardstown City Schools is gearing up for its 100th anniversary. The system started in 1908 with the dedication of the Bardstown Graded School. As Superintendent Brent Holsclaw said, it is common for an individual school to turn 100, but there are few entire systems that reach such a milestone.